The Demons Of Adad Untash: Muzgub Anang Gul

Far beyond the great desert, one will find the troubled land of Umaab. The people of this once proud kingdom are oft beset by demons who serve the dark god Nergal. The characteristics of these demons are described in the holy Tablets of Adad Untash.

Dusz raced down the hill, his grandfather’s battle axe in hand, to meet the wave of rat-demons that tore through the crops of his father’s farm. As he drew closer he could see their snapping jaws, so reminiscent of the great crocodiles that line the far banks of the river Zal near the ruined ziggurat.

The creatures moved with blinding speed and were fast upon the boy, hungry for more than the simple grains that scarcely sated the perpetual burning in their bellies. Their teeth, set in mouths raw and bleeding from an incessant quest to feed, sank into his calves and thighs even as they deftly avoided the blade of his axe.

Suddenly, one of the monsters fell away in a blur of yelping pain, dying as its skin blistered from contact with the Blessed Water of Ea. Giszeah, the hermit’s daughter, had appeared from the west, hurling small vials of the holy water at the beasts, who now began to flee as quickly as they had engaged in battle.

Muzgub Anang Gul (Lower Order Demon)
No. Enc.: 2d4 (2d4)
Alignment: Chaotic (evil)
Movement: 180’ (60’)
Armor Class: 4
Hit Dice: 1
Attacks: 1 (bite)
Damage: 1d4+1
Save: F1
Morale: 7
Hoard Class: None
XP: 31

Muzgub Anang Gul are wretched little demons with the bodies of large rats. Their bizarre countenances resemble crocodile heads. These creatures are very fast, and automatically win initiative on the first round of combat. In subsequent rounds they receive a +1 to their initiative rolls.

Additionally, they possess all of the abilities of a typical Lower Order Demon:

Infravision (90’)
Half damage from cold-based attacks
Half damage from electrical-based attacks
Half damage from fire-based attacks (all)
Half damage from gas-type attacks
Telepathy (allows all languages to be understood)

Further, these creatures are:

Susceptible to damage from “cold iron” weapons – hits from such weapons do an additional 1d4 damage.
Highly vulnerable to Holy Water, taking 1d8 damage per thrown vial that hits or an additional 1d4 damage from weapons doused in such a fluid.
Able to be turned (as creatures of 3HD) by Clerics of the gods of Umaab.

Muzgub Anang Gul often plague fields that have not been blessed by the harvest god Tammuz, devouring everything in their path.

The Tablets of Adad Untash tell the faithful that Muzgub Anang Gul are the souls of unwise farmers who allowed their crops to wither, bringing hunger to their families.

LL/AEC Rogues Gallery: The Clerics

Next up in the Labyrinth Lord/Advanced Edition Companion Rogues Gallery, the Clerics. Same rules as before, just focusing on those holy warriors everybody loves.

Brother Ginnity / Human Cleric 1 LG
STR 8 INT 13 WIS 17 DEX 12 CON 12 CHR 15
HP 6 AC 5 Gold 13
Mace, Sling & 10 Bullets, Banded Mail, Shield, Helmet, Silver Holy Symbol
Cleric Spells: Cure Light Wounds, Detect Evil, Protection From Evil

Orvis / Gnome Cleric 1 NG
STR 12 INT 11 WIS 13 DEX 11 CON 10 CHR 12
HP 6 AC 4 Gold 68
Mace, Sling & 10 Bullets, Chain Mail, Shield, Helmet, Silver Holy Symbol
Cleric Spells: Detect Evil, Light, Protection From Evil

Das / Half-Orc Cleric 1 CG
STR 13 INT 8 WIS 14 DEX 16 CON 14 CHR 4
HP 7 AC 2 Gold 19
Flail, Sling & 10 Bullets, Splint Mail, Shield, Helmet, Wooden Holy Symbol
Cleric Spells: Create Water, Purify Food & Drink, Sanctuary

Thrain Rockhammer / Dwarf Cleric 1 LN
STR 10 INT 9 WIS 16 DEX 8 CON 14 CHR 13
HP 7 AC 4 Gold 46
Hammer, Sling & 10 Bullets, Banded Mail, Helmet, Shield, Silver Holy Symbol
Cleric Spells: Create Water, Detect Magic, Sanctuary

Sabra / Elf Cleric 1 CN
STR 9 INT 10 WIS 14 DEX 14 CON 10 CHR 9
HP 6 AC 5 Gold 68
Mace, Sling & 10 Bullets, Studded Leather, Helmet, Shield, Silver Holy Symbol
Cleric Spells: Command, Detect Magic, Purify Food & Drink

Ulon / Half-Orc Cleric 1 LE
STR 16 INT 9 WIS 13 DEX 11 CON 16 CHR 8
HP 8 AC 4 Gold 40
Flail, Sling & 10 Bullets, Chain Mail, Helmet, Shield, Silver Holy Symbol
Cleric Spells: Cure Light Wounds, Cause Light Wounds, Fear

Faarlanx / Human Cleric 1 NE
STR 9 INT 6 WIS 16 DEX 9 CON 11 CHR 10
HP 6 AC 5 Gold 100
War Hammer, Sling & 10 Bullets, Chain Mail, Helmet, Wooden Holy Symbol
Cleric Spells: Cause Light Wounds, Fear, Resist Cold

Ivixa / Elf Cleric 1 CE
STR 6 INT 9 WIS 18 DEX 17 CON 7 CHR 11
HP 5 AC 4 Gold 38
Mace, Sling & 10 Bullets, Studded Leather, Helmet, Shield, Silver Holy Symbol
Cleric Spells: Command, Darkness, Fear

LL/AEC Rogues Gallery: The Fighters

Following the same guidelines as The Magic-Users, and with the same goals, here are a handful of Labyrinth Lord/Advanced Edition Companion Fighters to tickle your fancy.

Malachai / Human Fighter 1 LG
STR 16 INT 6 WIS 8 DEX 13 CON 10 CHR 7
HP 8 AC 4 Gold 44
Heavy Flail, Heavy Crossbow & 10 Quarrels, Chain Mail, Helmet

Oltorf / Dwarf Fighter 1 NG
STR 16 INT 12 WIS 11 DEX 14 CON 10 CHR 5
HP 8 AC 2 Gold 89
Pick, Heavy Crossbow & 10 Quarrels, Banded Mail, Shield, Helmet

Grey Moon / Elf Fighter 1 CG
STR 14 INT 11 WIS 8 DEX 13 CON 9 CHR 11
HP 8 AC 6 Gold 5
Long Sword, Dagger, Long Bow & 20 Arrows, Studded Leather Armor, Helmet

Grumbling Rhys / Human Fighter 1 CG
STR 16 INT 12 WIS 11 DEX 14 CON 10 CHR 4
HP 8 AC 4 Gold 78
Pole Arm, Two-Handed Sword, Chain Mail, Helmet

Olyn / Gnome Fighter 1 LN
STR 16 INT 6 WIS 8 DEX 13 CON 10 CHR 7
HP 8 AC 4 Gold 44
Heavy Flail, Heavy Crossbow & 10 Quarrels, Chain Mail, Helmet

Toban / Halfling Fighter 1 N
STR 15 INT 10 WIS 9 DEX 14 CON 12 CHR 12
HP 8 AC 2 Gold 47
Short Sword, Short Bow & 20 Arrows, Banded Mail, Shield, Helmet

Dagg / Half-Orc Fighter 1 CN
STR 16 INT 5 WIS 11 DEX 14 CON 16 CHR 12
HP 10 AC 3 Gold 22
Two-Handed Sword, Heavy Crossbow & 10 Quarrels, Banded Mail, Helmet

Ghazan / Human Fighter 1 LE
STR 14 INT 10 WIS 8 DEX 16 CON 12 CHR 8
HP 10 AC 3 Gold 23
Scimitar, Short Bow & 20 Arrows, Scale Mail, Shield, Helmet

Belgr / Human Fighter 1 NE
STR 16 INT 13 WIS 11 DEX 13 CON 13 CHR 11
HP 11 AC 2 Gold 71
Spear, Hand Axe, Splint Mail, Shield, Helmet

Tregg / Half-Orc Fighter 1 CE
STR 18 INT 11 WIS 10 DEX 10 CON 14 CHR 7
HP 9 AC 4 Gold 7
Battle Axe, Sling & 10 Bullets, Banded Mail

LL/AEC Rogues Gallery: The Magic-Users

Now that the Advanced Edition Companion has been officially released for Labyrinth Lord, let’s see about posting some simple sample characters a la The Rogues Gallery for 1st Ed. AD&D. Or, perhaps, a la the pregenerated characters in modules like B1: In Search of the Unknown.

These characters are all 1st level, were granted maximum HP (AEC HD, not Advanced), and have a bare minimum of equipment. Each has two (randomly determined) spells in his or her spellbook. They were all created with 3d6 for stats, more often than not in order. I did throw out the absolute weaklings, though.

Prince Kateb Al Wali / Human Magic-User 1 LG
STR 14 INT 16 WIS 9 DEX 16 CON 13 CHR 17
HP 5 AC 7 Gold 110
Silver Dagger, Spell Book
Magic-User Spells: Magic Missile, Unseen Servant

Ral / Human Magic-User 1 NG
STR 6 INT 16 WIS 13 DEX 13 CON 9 CHR 7
HP 4 AC 8 Gold 110
Quarterstaff, Spell Book
Magic-User Spells: Light, Message

Nyla / Elf Magic-User 1 CG
STR 6 INT 16 WIS 14 DEX 15 CON 13 CHR 9
HP 5 AC 8 Gold 26
Quarterstaff, Dagger, 3 Darts, Spell Book
Magic-User Spells: Allure, Shocking Grasp

Marsden / Human Magic-User 1 LN
STR 14 INT 14 WIS 11 DEX 9 CON 12 CHR 7
HP 4 AC 9 Gold 130
Dagger, Spell Book
Magic-User Spells: Jump, Spider Climb

Maara / Human Magic-User 1 N
STR 10 INT 15 WIS 14 DEX 11 CON 10 CHR 13
HP 4 AC 9 Gold 97
Silver Dagger, Quarterstaff
Magic-User Spells: Magic Aura, Ventriloquism

Mad Helen / Human Magic-User 1 CN
STR 13 INT 15 WIS 7 DEX 13 CON 10 CHR 11
HP 4 AC 8 Gold 117
Dagger, Spell Book
Magic-User Spells: Burning Hands, Mending

Saaloc / Half-Elf Magic-User 1 LE
STR 9 INT 14 WIS 11 DEX 9 CON 9 CHR 11
HP 4 AC 9 Gold 88
Quarterstaff, Spell Book
Magic-User Spells: Message, Read Languages

Vaarl / Human Magic-User 1 NE
STR 12 INT 15 WIS 13 DEX 12 CON 8 CHR 9
HP 3 AC 9 Gold 88
Quarterstaff, Spell Book
Magic-User Spells: Manipulate Fire, Sleep

Zoth / Human Magic-User 1 CE
STR 11 INT 14 WIS 12 DEX 13 CON 12 CHR 8
HP 4 AC 8 Gold 120
Quarterstaff, Spell Book
Magic-User Spells: Allure, Manipulate Fire

Advanced Edition Companion Now Available

So you play Labyrinth Lord, but you miss a few things about the Advanced version of the game, eh? Maybe it’s Assassins. Maybe it’s demons and devils. Maybe it’s gnomes. In any case, you’re now officially covered thanks to the magic of the Advanced Edition Companion from Goblinoid Games.

I’ve been lucky enough to have the preview version for Labyrinth Lord Society members for a week or so now and I have to tell you, it’s a thing of beauty. So what are you waiting for? Go get it already!

Clark Ashton Smith

Found while trolling various other geekblogs (thanks, Bite The Bulette): a bunch of Clark Ashton Smith stories online. I’ve never read any CAS myself, so I’m sticking this here so I do actually read some.

I’m digging my way through a bunch of Lovecraft right now, and I’ve got Hawkmoon on deck. Plus there’s still all the Elric books after Stealer of Souls to get through. And I’m pretty sure I haven’t actually finished all of the Conan stories in the recent reprints. Oh, and let’s not forget the Kull and Solomon Kane reprints, too.

But hey, these are online, so maybe I’ll sneak them in over lunch or something. Anyway, enjoy them as you can and I’ll do the same.

The Basic Map of Nysperé

One of the settings I’ve been playing with off and on for a year or so is the continent of Nysperé. Nysperé is a swords-and-sorcery setting, with no non-human races. Legend says that there used to be elves, but they were cruel masters (rather than benevolent tree huggers) whose yoke was thrown off by the upstart humans long ago. You could consider it a bit of a post-Melnibonéan world, if you were of a mind to.

I’ve got a couple of variations in my head (and even on paper) for using Nysperé with BRP and S&W/LL. Notes and ramblings on those are bound to be forthcoming at some point. Meanwhile, bow before my mad graphical skills.

Or not.

Too Many Strange Stones

Wherein your humble scribe posts a picture of his dice collection. Largely for image testing purposes.

I’m very fond of dice. I won’t go so far as to say I fetishize them. But I’m terribly fond of them. I went through a period in the late 80s and early 90s when I felt, somehow, that polyhedral dice were silly and games should only be played with d6s. I blame Hero and TFT for that. I forgive them, of course, but I blame them.

Later, probably around the time that I got all excited to get back into role-playing because of 3rd Ed. D&D I rediscovered my love of these strange stones. They make me happy, all of them. I think this is part of why I’m such a sucker for Basic RolePlaying now. I really like the fact that the system is yummy and logical but I still get to use my oddly-shaped bits of plastic when I play it.

Go Ape, Young Mutant

Wherein your humble scribe presents the original version of an idea he had for using Mutant Future to play Planet of the Apes.

Introducing The Apen

For those looking to add a “Planet of the Apes” feel to Mutant Future, I humbly present a new Character Race, the Apen.

Apen are divided into three distinct sub-races: Chimpanzees, Orangutans and Gorillas. Apen society follows a strict caste system, outlined below:

* Gorillas serve as the military, police, and hunters
* Orangutans serve as the politicians, leaders, and philosophers
* Chimpanzees serve as the scientists and intellectuals

When choosing to play an Apen, players should specify which sub-race their character will be.

The Apen are most like MF’s Pure Human race, in that they have evolved to have an immunity against radiation-based mutations and possess a d8 as their hit die rather than the d6 found in other races. Apen, like their Pure Human counterparts, also receive ability bonuses to offset the edge lost to being mutation-free. These ability bonuses vary by sub-race, as outlined below:

* Gorillas receive +3 to STR, CON, DEX
* Orangutans receive +3 to WIL, CON, CHA
* Chimpanzees receive +3 to INT, CON, DEX

As with Pure Humans, all modified attributes may be elevated to 21 except for CON, which is capped at 18.

Apen and mutants don’t get along terribly well (+3/+3/+3 for all mutant types on the Charisma & Racial Modified table) and are often suspicious of and cool towards Pure Humans (+2/+2/+2 to Pure Humans on same table).

Although Apen communities are not typically treasure troves of technological items, they do tend to have a fair number of primitive firearms (rifles and carbines, mostly) at their disposal. Additionally, Gorilla militias and armies are often supplemented with war horses to speed their travel and increase their range.

Apen society is known for its well-definied set of laws that guide their communities. Though the implementation of these may vary – typically the level of tolerance afforded to humans and mutants varies most wildly – the one constant tenet of Apen culture is that “Ape Shall Never Kill Ape.” This law, if broken, will result in harsh punishment for the offending Apen.

Scaling TriStat dX

Wherein, tired of seeing a blank blog, your humble scribe posts some old work he did back when TriStat dX and Guardians of Order were going concerns. dX is still a pretty tasty little game, though I’m not sure I’d use it for anything these days.

dX Scaled Modifiers

Sometimes it feels like dX doesn’t scale quite right. The combat modifiers all appear to be based on the d10 level of dX, which is great. But if you’re of the opinion that difficulty should be relative and that two gods should have the same relative penalties for hitting one another in total darkness that two bunnies should have, then this is the option for you.

To find the appropriate modifier value for your dX level, simply find the “official” modifier number in the d10 column and read left or right to find the equivalent modifier for the dX type in question.

Example: The official (d10) penalty for attacking the same target with two weapons is -8. If you’re playing a “post-human” (d8) game, you would look at the -8 modifier in the d10 column and read left one column to the d8 column and see that you should be using a -7 modifier instead of -8 to reflect the relative difficulty of the task.

d4	d6	d8	d10	d12	d20
-1	-1	-1	-1	-1	-1
-1	-1	-2	-2	-3	-4
-1	-2	-2	-3	-4	-6
-2	-2	-3	-4	-5	-8
-2	-3	-4	-5	-6	-10
-3	-4	-5	-6	-7	-11
-3	-4	-6	-7	-9	-14
-3	-5	-7	-8	-10	-15
-4	-6	-7	-9	-11	-17
-4	-6	-8	-10	-12	-19
-5	-7	-9	-11	-13	-21
-6	-8	-10	-12	-14	-23

Additional Scaling Efforts

To take full advantage of the X factor, consider the following adjustments to flat numbers in the rules. Note that the current flat numbers are effectively determined by applying these options to an X of 10.

Special Attack does 2X damage per level. (2d4 gives 8 damage per level, while 2d12 gives 24 damage per level)
Superstrength and Massive Damage add +X damage per level. (2d6 adds +6 damage per level, while 2d20 adds +20 damage per level)
Armor reduces X damage per level, while Force Field reduces 2X damage per level. (2d8 reduces 8 damage per Armor level, while 2d10 reduces 20 damage per Force Field level)
Toughness adds +2X Health Points per level. (2d4 adds +8 Health Points per level, while 2d12 adds +24 Health Points per level)
Health Points are now calculated with the following formula: (Body + Soul) * 1/2 X.
Energy Points are now calculated with the following formula: (Mind + Soul) * 1/2 X.

Mods 1-3 should be used together to balance out the damage dealt and recieved. Using some, but not all may make the game much more lethal or much less lethal out of proportion.

Mods 4 and 5 should be used together to balance things out. Calculating Health Points using a variable multiplier is up to GM preference, as some GMs do not see a need for recalculating Health Points in order to scale the system. Using Mods 4 and 5 will probably make combat deadlier, which may not be appropriate for some campaigns.

Full dX Graduated Stat Cost

Unlike the original authors of TriStat dX, I feel that each dX level should accept the full range of stat values (from 1 – 2X), so here is my revised Graduated Stat Cost chart for d10 and d12. I have also provided the errata from GoO for the d20 graduated stat cost column.

Example: Purchasing a stat of 19 in a d12 game would cost 48 points (1 each for stat values 1-4, 2 each for stat values 5-9, 3 each for stat values 10-15, and 4 each for values 16-19).

Cost	d10	d12	d20
1	1-3	1-4	1-5
2	4-8	5-9	6-11
3	9-13	10-15	12-18
4	14-17	16-20	19-30
5	18-20	21-24	31-40